1. Field of the Invention
The invention described herein relates to medical assessment. In particular, the invention relates to early detection of potential dysfunction.
2. Related Art
Current methods for detecting a patient's susceptibility to stroke are well known, but tend to be costly and/or invasive. Examples include positron emission tomography (PET) and the use of sonogram technology to image capillaries in the brain. At the same time, a considerable amount is known about strokes, and about how and why they occur. It is well known that a stroke can preceded by changes in blood flow in the brain. It is also well known that these changes can occur well in advance of the stroke, sometimes appearing months beforehand. Blood flow may be diminished in a blood vessel, for example, as a result of plaque build-up in the vessel. Moreover, this can lead to the generation of capillaries to compensate for the decreased blood flow in the original blood vessel. Plaque build-up may continue to the point of complete blockage, leading to a stroke. Alternatively, a sudden dislodging of the plaque can bring a sudden increase in blood flow to the newly developed capillaries, which can also lead to a stroke.
While such phenomenon are well understood, the only methods currently available for detection of changes in neural blood flow are costly. Such detection methods are therefore used judiciously; more widespread use would be prohibitively costly. As a result, strokes are not always anticipated. Hence, there is a need for a non-invasive and relatively inexpensive method for detecting a person's susceptibility to stroke.